The Boys Are Back in Town
by JackalCringe
Summary: A teen retelling of the Powerpuff Girls' episode The Boys are Back in Town, with a dash of sexual tension, kisses, and breaking buildings. Greens, hinted Reds and Blues. T for naughty language. One-shot.


It was on their flight home from school when the Powerpuffs heard the cry.

"HELP!"

The three immediately pulled up, circling down to the location of the cry: Townsville Park.

When the old woman spotted them, she motioned with her cane. "My cat, Powerpuff Girls!" There was a fat, furry orange cat gripping a high tree branch for dear life. "Mr. Snugglebottom got stuck again."

Buttercup sighed loudly. Blossom gave her an irritated glance. She knew what her raven-haired sister was hoping for a monster, one that terrorized the people and wrecked the town.

"Hold on, Mr. Snugglebottom!" cried Bubbles, who leaped into the tree, detaching the fat cat's claws from the bark and setting him down in the woman's arms.

He gripped his claws into the lady's shoulders, but she didn't even blink. She pinched the blonde teen's cheek, saying, "Oh, thank you, thank you, Bubbles. You girls are life-savers!"

Buttercup crossed her arms. "I'm sure your cat would've been fine, Ms. Gibson. This is like, the third time it's happened."

Blossom elbowed her, glaring. She said to a flustered Ms. Gibson, "Sorry, Ms. Gibson. Buttercup's been really moody lately." She leaned in and stage whispered, "I guess it's cause she's seventeen now or something."

Buttercup huffed and turned away as the two laughed. _Blossom makes a perfect eighty-year old_, she thought angrily. The truth was, she _had _been moody, and it was because of a mixture of things, the main offender being math. Her stupid Algebra II teacher had pulled her aside and warned her of the fat F she was getting. Then her softball coach, with tears in his eyes, came to tell her that she couldn't play this season because of said F. The team would suffer without her, in all honesty. She was the best athlete the school had ever seen.

It also had to do with Raimundo, a Brazilian exchange student and school friend she had started to hang out with outside of Townsville High. It took her a month to realize that she was crushing on him (that goddam _sexy _accent made her want to rip his clothes off), and now that she knew it, she was aware of how platonic he treated her. She was just one of the boys, and she had no idea how to get out of the rut. Then, just earlier today, he had asked her, "Do you know if Robin has a boyfriend?"

Buttercup growled at the memory. She ached for a fight━it was the sole thing that could make her feel better. Even thinking about it, she felt lighter. The scrape of knuckles, the tension in her back and shoulder muscles, the taste of blood━hell, even the pain made her feel free. And now she just had to find a monster.

Her thoughts were cut off by an eruption. It sounded like the ground was ripping open, a pitched rumbling that she felt in her bones. Car alarms went off, glass shattered. Dust billowed from the center of Townsville, rising above the tallest office buildings. Buttercup couldn't stop the grin from splitting her face. _Fuck yes._

"Girls, let's go!" Blossom said unnecessarily.

"Get home, Ms. Gibson!" Bubbles shouted.

The three sped towards the city center, the pace sending their hair flying back and billowing up the hood of Buttercup's green hoodie. They left their trademark pink-,green-, and blue-stripe trailing in their wake.

Office workers paraded past them, pouring out of buildings, walking calmly but swiftly. They knew the routine.

The site made Blossom falter, Bubbles gasp, and Buttercup's grin to widen. _Oh, yes, _she thought, _something's coming. _

Dust and smoke billowed from large cracks in the ground. Just as the street cleared of Townsvillians, the pavement ripped like wrapping paper during Christmas. The ground continued to shake as they landed. Rocks were birthed, spiking out of the ground to the height of a two-story building. It was a platform cloaked in a cloud of smoke.

Buttercup coughed impatiently.

The cloud cleared, presenting three figures to the girls. Three teen boys, to be exact, of their age. They were immediately recognizable━who else shared the colors of the Powerpuff girls? They hadn't seen them in some ten years. The smile slid right off Buttercup's face.

"The Rowdyruff Boys." Blossom hissed, glaring for all she was worth.

The first, on the left, was Boomer. He had the same blonde hair as Bubbles, wind-swept, with deep blue eyes. He looked to embrace the surfer look━with his hands in his pockets, he definitely looked laid-back enough━in blue board shorts and a tank that showed off tanned, muscled arms. His gaze stopped on Bubbles, and he gave a goofy grin and a small, friendly wave.

Buttercup saw Bubbles blush.

The commander in the middle was Blossom's equivalent, Brick. His arms were crossed and eyes narrowed in the most menacing, cold look Buttercup had ever seen. The scarlet eyes only made it more chilling. Gone was the immature, loud brat, replaced by a calculating, frosty (and pretty attractive, Buttercup had to admit) boss. He had on his trademark backwards cap, letting a bit of flame-red hair onto his forehead through the velcro hole. The rest was tied in a ponytail at his back, and came down to his shoulders. He wore a red hoodie with a black aviator jacket over it, and looked down his nose at the girls, studying the three.

The last was the worst.

Butch was leaning forward, studying the girls in a _very _different way than Brick was. He shook slightly, in anticipation, and bounced on his heels. (Buttercup would've said it was weird, but sometimes she did it before a fight, too.) He was handsome in a sharp way, with dark, wicked green eyes and a crooked grin that made the girls feel uneasy. His black hair was tied in a tiny ponytail at the back of his head, with a few hairs dropping over his forehead. He cracked his knuckles as he watched them, each pop making Bubbles wince. The girls knew this one. He was the most dangerous, the most blood-thirsty. He was the personification of Buttercup's worst traits. This made him a lethal, savage opponent, and the most ferocious fighter of the three.

"Boys," Brick cued. The three floated down slowly, landing on the torn street.

"What are you doing here? We thought you left," Blossom growled, her fingers curling into fists.

"Missed us?" Brick replied coolly. "We came back to kick your asses in, ladies. Him needs you dead, and we get tired of the daily articles on you three in the papers."

Boomer lit up, smiling. "Yeah, we read about you in Italy." His gaze settled over Bubbles. "They had a picture of you, standing on this spiky monster. It was so cool."

Brick elbowed him, sparing him an unsatisfied glance.

Bubbles flushed a flattering shade of fuchsia, and giggled. It was Blossom's turn to elbow, sending her a _seriously? _look.

Blossom cocked her hip. Buttercup's anticipation grew as she watched Butch follow the movement. (_Lord _how she wanted to kick his face in.) "_Him_, huh? Boys, why don't you leave our city right now and we won't have to do this? Nothing has to change." The redhead girl reasoned, exasperation clear in her voice. She thought of the damage a fight between six super-people would cause in Townsville.

Buttercup rolled her eyes. _God_, she thought, _look at that asshole's face. He's just begging for me to beat it in._ She looked at her pink-eyed sister, thinking, _he's looking at you like your a sandwich, Blossom. Let me crack his fuckin' skull._

Brick's lip curled. "No can do, little miss peacemaker. We're gonna rip you to shreds."

Butch's eyes were glued to Blossom's body. "Let me get the redhead, dude." He met Blossom's eyes, grinning. "We're gonna have _so_ much fun."

Blossom glared angrily, but Buttercup saw her swallow.

"You definitely punched puberty in the dick," he continued, licking his lips. "Fuck, just look at those━"

Buttercup shot a warning beam at him, which he easily ducked. Butch's eyes flickered over to her, seeming to just realize she was there. He raised an eyebrow. "What's your fucking problem, dyke?"

She rose off the ground. "You better watch your fuckin' mouth, dipshit. _Your_ the one named Butch."

His eyes flared, and he rose too, keeping his distance. The smile that had been wiped off his face was slowly spreading again. "Oh?"

"Don't talk about my sister like that, you _ass_hole," she snarled, throwing another beam. He swerved. "She's not a fuckin' hunk of meat."

"Aren't we all just hunks of meat?" Boomer mused to himself.

Blossom flew up to Buttercup to take hold of her arm. "Buttercup," she hissed, "Calm down━we're trying _not _to fight and damage the city."

Buttercup grinded her teeth. _Just give me something to break! _"How can you listen to that bullshit?"

Blossom's pink eyes were hard. "I ignore it, and you have to, too."

Butch ambled toward them three feet in the air, the other Rowdyruffs in his wake. "Now, now, Pretty in Pink, if it wants to fight, let the little thing fight." He grinned, his eyes fixed on Buttercup now. "She looks like she wants to rip me up. Let her try."

"No, Buttercup," Blossom warned as Buttercup stepped forward. Her iron grip wrenched her back. Buttercup's eyes were like malachite daggers on Blossom, glaring with all her irritation. "_Listen_ to me," Blossom demanded.

"_He's provoking_," Buttercup snarled, shifting the glare to the green-eyed boy.

"Yes, listen to Mommy," Butch smirked, dismissing the girl with a hand. "Why don't you let the━" his eyes flicked over to Blossom "━adults play."

"Enough, Butch." Brick growled. "_Pick someone to fight already_."

"No━" Blossom started.

Buttercup wrenched away from her sister. "Enough, Blossom! They wanna kill us, so stop the peace-making and lets break some skulls!"

Blossom closed her mouth, face grim.

Butch had his hand on his chin like he was observing a collection of fine wines. "Well, Blossom, you're awfully hot, but I'm afraid you're just gonna fuckin' hug a tree and discuss social harmony."

"Hey!" she protested, but Buttercup, who knew her sister well, could hear the relief disguised in her voice.

Forest green eyes caught Buttercup's in a staredown. "So let's see what the dyke's got up her sleeve."

He leaped, and everything else lost focus. Buttercup only saw his speeding figure getting larger and larger. She tensed, and he knocked into her full force, slamming her onto her back as they slid forward together. The pavement underneath her splinted, and they made a trench along Main Street, Butch laughing all the way.

She was buried under rock by the time they came to a stop. He was cackling, holding on to his stomach. She uppercutted, hitting him full in the jaw. He flew up a few feet, his laughter killed.

She jerked herself out of the trench, her back aching and her hoodie's back in tatters. "My hoodie! You fuckin' _asshole_," she snarled, charging.

Her fists flew wildly. She connected with his jaw, snapping his head back, and her next one he caught and twisted, shooting pain up her arm. He grabbed her hood and sprung into the air, dragging her with her. He turned circles at high speed, sending her flying upon release, aimed at an office building. She crashed, breaking through the glass window and twenty cubicles before stopping. The whole thing was empty, as the evacuation bell had went off when the ground had started rumbling.

She sat up, dazed, and lurched as Butch landed in front of her, palm glowing with dark green power.

"Come on," he drawled. "I thought you were supposed to be 'the tough one.'" He shot a few beams, which she deftly dodged, then shot one of her own. He just sidestepped.

Buttercup's blood boiled, her heart sped. It had been a while since she faced a monster half as tough. She glared at him while her mouth split into a grin. His eyes widened a fraction. Adrenaline filled her, making her feel lighter, free-er; she felt power in her bones.

His confusion melted back into that cocky grin. "You're enjoying this, huh?"

She spat on the floor━saliva and blood━and raised her fists in a bare-knuckle stance. She beckoned with her fingers, smirking.

He charged, fists at the ready. A blow rang up her arm as he connected with her forearm. _At least it wasn't my face_, she thought, swatting another punch away. She rabbit-punched, landing his nose. He reeled back, swiping at his face. A shriek of blood came away. He kept that fucking grin.

He came wildly, fists flying at her sides and face. She took defense, slapping and blocking as he landed a couple in the ribs and boxed her ear. She doubled over as he connected a punch to her sternum, the air rushing out of her lungs in a whooping cough. He grabbed her shoulders and flung her through the wall.

She crashed through, showered in plaster dust that coated like flour. He stepped through the body-sized hole she made to emerge into the women's bathroom. Large hands grabbed her about the shoulders again. Buttercup struggled underneath the weight, before she was lifted and flung into the mirror face-first.

The glass shattered, shards tinkling like bells as they rained on the floor. She hissed as her cheek was sliced. His hands were still leveraging her against the wall, her cheek smooshed against it, but she planted her own hands on the tile, grabbing a large shard of broken mirror. She let herself relax, acting dazed and tired (which wasn't too difficult), breathing hard. When she felt him ease his grip, she threw herself back, toppling him.

He stumbled, then jerked himself away from her swing with the shard. She narrowly missed his nose, the air whistling as it went by. He grabbed her wrist with one hand, twisting till she let go. She let the dagger drop as blood gushed from the gashes it had made in her palm. She put a foot forward, threw her grabbed wrist up━fingers splayed━then flung her back foot to the side as she slapped her free palm into his elbow, shoving him knee-first to the floor, his arm twisted in the air. It was a move she learned from her taekwondo teacher.

She applied pressure to his elbow till he hissed. She grinned in satisfaction. When he bucked, she flung him face-first into the nearest sink. The porcelain shattered, and the pipe shot water into his bloody face. He coughed as water shoved itself down his lungs, and Buttercup was tempted to keep him there.

_No, _her conscious supplied, _You're not him. You're not a monster. _She stayed where she was, hands forcing his head into the water. _Get off him, Buttercup! _it screamed.

She let go just as he wrenched himself away, slamming his back into her. Rivulets ran down his cheeks and stuck to his lashes and lips; his shirt front was soaked through, laying like a second skin on hard stomach muscles. He breathed hard, gasping for oxygen. Then he began to hack up what was swallowed. She grabbed his ponytail, wrenching his head back.

"Give up already," she snarled. _God, please don't give up, _she pleaded. She loved fighting him, and she was secretly thrilled to find someone who liked to fight as much as her. She didn't feel so alone.

His face was void of blood, washed off in the water. Chemical X was already healing the cuts. He smirked, then spat excess water at her. It missed.

She growled and jumped on him, swinging her fist into his stomach and trying to slam his head onto the tiled floor. He bear-hugged, restraining her arms as she tried to breathe. They rolled till they hit the wall, and he struggled to get up while she protested his grip.

Buttercup snarled as she landed an elbow into his side, hard enough to bruise. She bit down on anything she could, including the pad of his thumb. He cried out and careened away from her. She landed an elbow to his eyebrow before he grabbed her black hair and tugged her down the hall. Letting herself be dragged, she gripped his wrists and heated her hands to twin balls of green heat. He growled in pain and pitched her into the window.

As soon as she broke the glass and began the free-fall, she lurched up into the air, soaring high. He took off after her, cackling loudly.

Buttercup saw pink and red bolts flying a few blocks away. She flung her own bolts at her approaching target, who stalked into the air like a predator. He dodged, heaving forest green beams at her. The two colors hit, sparking bright electricity and dying.

She soared towards Blossom, hoping to get a few breaths in and the Chemical X to heal her scrapes. The window, mirror, and wall flinging had down some damage to her skin, and her hoodie was an unrecognizable article of cloth. It would have to be burnt, with all the blood and dust it had collected. She was some six stories above her sister when she pulled off the hoodie, chucking it into the face of Brick.

He faltered, not seeing the green-eyed superhero, and his next throw went wild.

"Buttercup!" Blossom exclaimed, soaring to meet her. She sent a hot-pink bolt at an incoming Butch, who swerved. "Let's find Bubbles!"

Buttercup nodded, flying alongside Blossom as she pitched beams at the following Rowdyruff Boys.

"Running away, dyke?" Butch sneered.

She snarled, activating eye-beams that figure-eighted, making the two boys scramble. Blossom yanked her, making her lose the connection and halting the beam.

"Save your energy, Buttercup!" Blossom instructed, glancing worriedly at all her cuts and scrapes. Buttercup was an amazing fighter, Blossom knew, but Butch had that _with_ all the bloodthirstiness and ferocity of a rabid bear, with no sympathy for others' pain. Brick may have been brutal, but it was in a precise and business-like way━he wanted this over with. Butch liked to play with his food. He was savage, and the redhead's fear for her sister only grew seeing the blood running down Buttercup's cheek and the nasty cuts along her knuckles and palms. "You'll need your Chemical X reserves to heal."

They found Bubbles by the park, pitching her baby-blue bolts at Boomer, who batted them with a bat. The attitude was not that of a fight, but of play. She laughed aloud as she watched the beam soar high in a flyball. "Good one!"

"Send another!" He replied, readying in a batting stance.

"_Bubbles!_" Blossom exclaimed. "What are you _doing_?" She reached over and plucked Bubbles up, soaring away from the advancing green and red boys.

"Hey, what's up?" They heard Boomer ask his annoyed brothers.

Brick punched him in the arm and flew after the girls, growling for him to stop being such an idiot and follow.

"What? We were just _playing_!" Bubbles whined, exasperated. "You didn't even _want_ us to fight in the first place!"

"She has a point," Buttercup said.

"Shut up, both of you." Blossom growled. They circled a few buildings to lose the boys before winding back to hide in a garage.

They soared in, Blossom tugging them behind a truck towards the back.

"What━don't tell me we're fucking hiding!" Buttercup exclaimed, tugging at her sister's grip. "Let's fight, we can take those assholes."

"W-we're not hiding!" Blossom hissed. "Just keep your voice down. I'm trying to _think_."

Bubbles touched her pink-eyed sister's shoulder, worried. "She needs a plan," she said, looking at Buttercup.

Blossom looked at her sisters, eyes wide. "Girls," she whispered. "I think━I think we've met━"

"_Don't say it!_" Buttercup snarled.

"We've met our match." She finished.

"Agh!" Buttercup exclaimed, throwing her hands over her ears. "You're giving up?!"

"Blossom," Bubbles whispered, "what about the kisses?"

"Kisses?" Blossom looked confused, then her face lit. "The kisses! Remember, Buttercup? When we first fought them, our kisses sucked the Chemical X from their bodies, and they lost their powers and grew weaker. They weren't even able to heal!"

Buttercup made a face, lip curled. "And they fainted." She looked at the ground, murmuring, "I don't want to kiss him."

"I don't mind kissing Boomer," Bubbles giggled. "He's cute."

Her sisters both looked at her, horror clear on their faces.

The light coming in from the garage door was suddenly interrupted. They saw the shadows of three figures from under the car.

"Come out, come out, girly girlies…" Brick murmurred. The sound echoed throughout the garage, and the girls shivered.

There steps echoed slapped against the pavement, closer and closer with each second.

They heard the wind gather, a warning that someone was about to take flight. Suddenly Butch landed in front of them, the ground crippling under his weight as a blast of air blew the hair out of their faces. Bubbles squeaked.

Before anyone could move, he seized Buttercup by the collar and pulled her forward, snaking an arm around her waist. "Ladies," he nodded at the other two pleasantly, the perfect gentleman, then squatted, the air gathering underneath him and his leg muscles tensing, and jumped.

He soared through the ceiling of the garage with the struggling girl, blasting through all fifteen floors of the building (three of which were dedicated to the garage) and emerged from through the roof and into open air. Buttercup's eyes flared luminescent green━a harbinger of her eye-beams.

"Oh no you don't," he said, flinging her at the lightning rod that occupied the roof.

She crashed into it, bending it in half. Recovering, she flung bolt after bolt at him while he dodged, flying at her. The wind was knocked out of her as Butch tackled, sending the two into 360s through the air.

They crashed onto another roof, shaking the whole office building. She backhanded him across the face, then slammed her forehead into his chin. He lurched away, hand over his mouth.

"God, you're fun." He murmured over his hand, eyes crinkling.

She stood, getting into a boxer's stance. She tossed her head. "Come get some more."

She blocked his flying fists, twisting around his lunges and kicks. She deflected a jab, then reached in and yanked his collar till he was mere inches from her. Her lips smashed hard under his lobe, right where his jawline joined with the ear, then shoved him away.

Her face felt warm. She _hated _when she had to do that, but enjoyed watching him visibly weaken. The kisses were their weakness━she had forgotten in all these years.

Butch only smirked. "Even a dyke can't resist me."

She growled. It had taken multiple kisses last time as well. She kicked out at him, and he caught the foot, twisting it down till she stumbled. She brought her elbow up into his throat━he let out a gurgle, satisfying her immensely━then grabbed his ponytail to yank his head back.

"This is handy," she murmured, voice soft. "Allows me to grab something."

He shivered.

She frowned, and proceeded to kiss all over his chin, pecking one on his Adam's apple. _Oh God, _she tried to squelch the glee that she felt running along her spine as she thought to herself, _please don't tell me your having fun, Buttercup. _But she was. She couldn't help it. He squirmed in her grip, but didn't protest.

She looked into his face, noting how his eyes were closed and his breath had faltered. She flicked the neck lump she had just kissed. "Hey, are you fuckin' dead?"

His eyes flashed open, pupils dilated till they left only an edge of emerald. He looked fucking scary, and Buttercup's first reaction was to strike, a hard jab to the mouth that laid him out.

She leaped back━her muscles sore, bones like lead━and tried to get her head under control. What the hell was that look? That _fucking pervert_! Did he━did he fucking _savor _those kisses? What the _fuck_! Buttercup's mind was reeling with repulsion, confusion, and mind-boggling pleasure. It gave her some gratification knowing her kiss could make a man melt.

_He didn't fucking melt, _she argued, _just shut the hell up, _brain, _what the fuck do _you _know?_

Butch sat up, spitting teeth. He grinned━four of his front teeth were gone. He stuck his tongue through the gaping space, wiggling it at her, then close his lips.

_I bet he can't curl it, _she thought, raising heavy fists. Her calf muscles cramped, her brain felt like a puddle, sloshing around in her skull. Butch's standing image swam lackadaisically in her eyes, and a great pounding started in her head, her heartbeat loud in her ears. Her breath came hard.

He ambled forward, tossing her weak punch aside. When he was directly in front of her, he grinned wide. His pearly white teeth were back, straight and perfect and very punchable.

Buttercup gasped, taking a step back. "H-how did it heal so fast?" From personal experience, she knew it usually took teeth some three hours to grow back with Chemical X.

"Why don't you come and find out?" He beckoned with his fingers.

She came forward, swinging slow and heavy. He easily slapped them away. Her feet felt like they had connected with the paved roof, and would not release for anything. She clumsily swung, and he grabbed her wrist and buried his fingers into the soft flesh of her wrist. She ground her teeth to keep from yelping.

He smiled triumphantly. He looked so healthy compared to the way she felt. He stood tall, skin flushed with battle and the barest hint of sweat, arms flexed and lithe. Buttercup, in comparison, had sweated through her heavy athletic shirt and could feel every scrape, from her knuckles to her knees to her face. She tried to form eye-beams, but couldn't.

_Fight, girl, fight! _The deepest part of her soul screamed, wild and full of animalistic rage. This was the part of her spirit━the spice━that her sisters had not inherited: the savage, brutal element that cried for blood, no matter how she went about it. She lurched forward, raking her nails across his face, then kneed him where the sun don't shine.

He doubled over, and her fingers went to dig at his eyes, hoping to pry them out. He gripped her flying hands with bone-crushing force, standing tall and glaring down at her. "Playing dirty now, are we?"

She kicked weakly at his stomach, but knew it was hopeless. Instead, she aimed bites at his nose. She imagined she looked quite feral, with her teeth clicking at the empty air as he maneuvered his face away.

_He's too strong, _she thought, tormented. In a last effort, she slammed her weight against him, but he didn't even stumble. She planted a kiss against his collarbone.

"Stupid," he muttered softly. She felt like liquid lead was flowing through her in place of blood, and barely protested as she was flung against the wall of the rectangular roof-access door. Collapsing, she laid out against the floor, legs splayed.

He leaped on top of her, hands to her neck. She glared up at him, but left her hands at her sides.

He noticed. "Come on, dyke," he whispered. "Fight me."

She looked away.

"You really wanna' die fuckin' laying here, huh? I thought you the type to go down kicking."

There was something like disappointment in his voice. _Well, _FUCK _him, _she thought, _who the fuck does he think he is, fuckin' disappointed in _me_?_

Bucking, she threw his weight to the side as she flung what she could collect in her hand of the roof's coating: a mixture of dust, pebbles, and dead insects hit Butch in the face, and she successfully rolled him over, landing punches in his stomach. They were such light hits, he didn't even blink. His hand came up over her right ear, and he shoved her till her head hit the roof with a heavy bang that made her see stars, and he was back on top again.

They struggled, but it was clear that she couldn't keep going. Butch's hands were braced against the floor of the roof, on both sides of Buttercup's head. Her black hair, damp from sweat and lightly dusted with plaster, tangled in his fingers. He was low, their bodies mere inches from touching. He readied his fist, ready to wake her up with a jab to the noggin'.

But she was distracting. Her eyes were half-closed, lashes creating black crescent moons against her flushed skin, and she was panting, her chest bobbing as she struggled. Her hands grabbed at his clothes, trying to move him and failing. In their struggle, his hand had somehow gotten up her shirt━completely unintentional, on his part━fingers splaying against her stomach. It was hard and flat, lined with subtle muscles that were hot against the pads of his fingers.

His eyes fell to her mouth, which was slightly parted as she breathed. Her lips had been soft against his jaw, his collarbone, on his neck...a thrill went down his spine, making him shiver. Her eyes flew open suddenly, and she craned her neck towards him. Butch let her, knowing she had nothing left to fight him with. Those soft-looking lips were pursed as she leaned forward. He was mesmerized, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

_She's trying to kiss you…_

Their lips crashed together, his desperate, hers surprised, and both mouths parted, tongues swiveling for dominance. She stiffened with shock, but was encouraged by a slow trickling of strength that cooled her overheated muscles. _This is just another battle,_ she thought, _and I'm going to win._

Buttercup━whose secret power lay in her tongue━curled the muscle adeptly around his own. His mouth was hot. She reached to take hold of the back of his head so she could get a better angle. His hand swept her stomach, caressing the waist and moving south to tug on her belt loops. She heard him growl against her mouth, and shivered.

She looked at him through her lashes. He was extremely attractive━his nose was straight and sharp, lashes thick and onyx black. Tiny strands of hair had been loosed and fell over his forehead, softening his sharp appearance. His hands and arms were strong and masculine, shoulders broad. _And fuck, can he kiss, _she thought, just as a slight moan escaped.

She felt her cheeks heat, but he only smiled against her lips. He moved down to peck her jaw and neck, while her hands roamed, petting down the muscles of his back. She rested her palms against his chest, and he paused in kissing as they regarded each other, breathing hard as they shared the same air.

His eyes were the color of pine needles, with flecks of mint and jade towards the center, framed by those long lashes. His skin was flushed pink and warm. The look in his eyes was one she was not nearly ready for━it was much too soft, too much emotion she didn't understand. His next kiss was tender, filling her with a warmth that started in her chest and spread all the way to her fingers and toes.

"What the _fuck _are you doing?" Brick growled.

Butch jerked, sitting up. Buttercup, who felt like her nerves were fried, immediately punched him in the jaw out of reflex. He glared at her, his expression once again hard. Then he turned to Brick.

He was levitating by the roof. His red eyes radiated cold anger, locked on Butch. "What the fuck, Butch. What. The. Fuck. You are the dumbest piece of shit I have ever laid my eyes upon."

Butch stood, rubbing his jaw. "I was just kissing. What the fuck is the problem, overlord?"

Brick sent an eyebeam that barely missed Butch's face. "Did you not read Him's powerpoint?" He shook in his rage.

"I, ugh, I might've skimmed it." Butch said uncommitedly.

He spoke through clenched teeth. "It specifically said that if we received a skin kiss from the girls, the toxin he gave us would absorb their Chemical X, giving us their strength and decreasing their healing and super abilities. We would gain more energy and power with each kiss, and our healing speed would increase by tenfold."

"Okay…" Butch murmured, darting a glance at Buttercup, who was getting up.

He snapped, "What the fuck do you think happens when you exchange a kiss, you retard? A mouth-to-mouth one? Do you think that perhaps the Chemical X in your systems would balance out; that you'd be in equal in power now? That all the _god damned work _from before has just been fucking _nullified_, and _fucking Christ Butch_, you were fucking kissing her neck!"

Butch flushed simultaneously with Buttercup. _Oh God, he saw that? _They both thought.

Butch sighed in annoyance. "So what?"

Brick closed his eyes. "If she kisses your skin, she gives you power. What the fuck do you think would happen if _you_ kissed _her_ skin?" He paused, and when Butch didn't answer, he bit, "You just gave her your own _fucking_ Chemical X, you dumbass. She's stronger, now."

Buttercup stood, feeling the strength in her light bones. She bounced on her heels, growling at Brick, "Where's Blossom?"

He turned his cold eyes on her. "I left her down there, in the street."

Ice ruptured the warmth she had been feeling from Butch's kisses. "She's dead?"

The only answer was a quirk of his mouth..

She charged, tackling him around the waist and firing down the length of the building. He struggled, but she was strong and enraged. They landed with him back-first into the pavement, causing the whole street to ripple and forming a large crater. Cars bounced and the road pushed up in places like a rug.

Blossom lay atop the roof of a crushed-in car. Buttercup saw her chest bob, and breathed a sigh of relief. _She's alive, oh thank God, she's alive. _

She grabbed Brick's ponytail, almost ripping out the flame-colored hair, and dragged the dazed boy to her sister. She then proceeded to press his face against her cheek. "Kiss her, you prick. She needs some of that asshole energy you're just _drenched_ in."

She mashed his face all over her skin, with his gurgled protesting and the laughter of Butch the only sound in the area. She heard the tiniest moan, and saw Brick's face heat to a nice tomato color. She snickered. Blossom had made the noise, right as Brick had been mashed against her neck.

The pink-eyed girl unconsciously moved a hand to rest against Brick's chest. He froze, his head no longer struggling against Buttercup's hand. He didn't even notice when she let go, and she flew a few paces back to give them space.

It looked like they were sharing a moment, the pink and red, as she woke and their gazes caught.

Buttercup turned away, embarrassed at witnessing such a private moment. Butch was staring at her oddly from atop a stop sign. He flew down to meet her.

He smirked. "Mind sharing some of that Chemical X?"

She pretended to study her nails. "What, you want me," she put a hand on her chest, "to give some back? You know how that works, right? That means you'd have to _kiss this dyke_." She smiled wanly, eyes narrowed. "Mouth-to-mouth."

He took a step forward. "Is that a challenge?"

"A statement, but take it as you wish."

He grinned and reached for her. She leaped away, soaring into the air. "Gonna have to catch me first, bastard!" She cried, cackling as he flew after her.

"And you know how I love to chase!" He replied.

…

The two had ended up intertwined against the roof of the tallest building in Townsville. He caught her after some ten minutes of chasing and a spout of fist fighting that left them sweating. Buttercup, the immediate winner due to the power difference, held his hands down as she pecked him on his cheeks with kisses that refilled his Chemical X reserves.

He craned his neck, pursing his lips. She moved close, their lips mere centimeters from brushing...and pulled away, laughing as he groaned. He flipped her over (much easier now that he had more power in his system) and planted a good one on her lips. They rolled across the roof, trying to gain dominance. They ended up in tears, laughing hard. He hugged her tight, and she wrapped her arms around him, promising to commit this moment to memory.

"We are a matched set," he whispered.

She nodded, sighing into his shoulder with...happiness.

There was a sharp whistle that sounded from the center of city, where the boys had emerged from the rock. The greens sat up, looking towards the sound.

"That's for me," he muttered, looking forlorn. Together they flew to the center.

Brick was standing, arms crossed as pink fog advanced from the cracks in the ground. Blossom was next to him, studying the fog on her knees. Buttercup noted how pink her ears were. There were also spots of color on Brick's cheeks, who glanced at the landing two, explaining, "It's Him."

Butch made an irritated noise.

Boomer was there, holding Bubbles hand. She was eating half a Subway sandwich, and he was eating the other half. It was clear that they'd been on a date.

Buttercup crossed her arms. "So what are you gonna do?" she asked, looking at Butch. Would he resume trying to kill her? She doubted it. _If I learned anything from this, _she thought, _and if he's like me, then he won't wanna kill me. I'm too much fun to fight to not save for future battles. _She also knew that he at least displayed some sort of soft spot for her. She blushed at the memory of his expression when they had paused kissing, the one that had both frightened and thrilled her.

"I'm gonna come back," Butch said, glaring into the fog. He added, "And I think I'm going to kill Him. I'm tired of being his slave rat."

"I'm on board with that!" Boomer said, taking a large bite out of his sandwich. "I'll come back for you." He said to Bubbles, who squeezed his hand.

Brick glanced at Blossom, then away. His expression was unreadable when he said, "We'll have to remove the toxin he gave us, so we can kiss...people without messing with their X." He sighed. "Come on, let's go to Him before he comes to meet us."

Butch lightly punched her arm before he tugged her into him, pecking her lips."I'll see you real soon, dyke."

She grinned. "Lookin' forward to kickin' your ass, you bastard."

With goodbyes from their respective girls━the blues with a sweet hug and kiss, before he tickled her, and the reds with an awkward shuffling of feet, before Blossom undid her bow and handed to him, which he took with a squeeze of her hand before wrapping the ribbon around his wrist━and advanced into the pink fog until their figures were obscured.

The sisters looked at each other, at a loss for what had happened.

"What...what just happened?" Blossom whispered, her cheeks pink.

And Buttercup, who everyone agreed was the least-experienced in matters of love, the least expected person to supply explanations in romance and enchantment, answered absently, "We just met our matched sets."

**Author's Note - **I fell in love with Buttercup again after reading sbj's _More than Human_. Green has always been my favorite Powerpuff, and her relationship with Butch has so many possible dynamics that I just grabbed and ran with. PLEASE REVIEW, & THANKS FOR READING. :)


End file.
